Muğla’s taxis fares metered to suit driver and customer

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In Muğla, the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality, Dr. Osman Gürün, has established a new system for taxis based on taximeters in an attempt to make prices fairer and resolve the age-old disputes that so often arise between taxi drivers and their passengers.

The new taxi fare system involves the rates on the taximeters decreasing as the distance increases, which is adopted for the first time in Turkey.

Muğla’s taxi drivers have long been complaining that for short distances the fares were too low, resulting in less daily business compared with other tradesmen. Taxi drivers also argue that the high rates on taximeters over long distances are causing them to lose customers. Now, to put an end to everyone’s discontent, Mayor Gürün has intervened and established a new regulation for taxi meters and pricing.

For the last ten months, officials from the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality have been in consultation with representatives from the taxi stands and chambers in an effort to calculate the cost of fuel, insurance and other expenses. Based on the collected data, the Sub-Commission of UKOME have set up a new tariff, so the rates decrease as the distances increase.

According to the Metropolitan Municipality, UKOME (Communication Coordination Centre) established a new tariff on 12 September, 2018. They have now established a system – the first of its kind in Turkey – in an effort to put an end to disputes between taxi drivers and their customers. On the basis of this new tariff, a single rate is to be applied for 0-1 km and a standard will be set for the decrease of the rate per kilometre over long distances.

This means that taxis will become a more economical means of transport for customers travelling over a long distance. The Municipality also thanked all the taxi cooperatives, chambers, members of UKOME and delegates from government offices, for their assistance in establishing this new tariff.